Breakfast Smoothie Extraordinaire

(Update July 4, 2013. I removed “a la Whole30″ from the title of this post because I keep finding it on Pinterest, with comments from Whole30-ers cautioning against consuming smoothies during a Whole30. Is this still a good recipe? I think so, yes. Is it “Whole30″? Not quite. If you’re doing a Whole30, consider this as an occasional treat rather than as a key nutritional go-to.)

(Update March 27, 2012. In a recent conversation with Melissa Hartwig, co-founder of the Whole30, I learned that smoothies are less than ideal for the Whole30 program for a few reasons: 1) the spotlight tends to be on the fruit rather than the veggies or protein; 2) almond butter is classified as a fat that should be consumed occasionally, not a protein that should be consumed daily; 3) flax seeds are on the “limit” list for fats; and 4) liquid foods are easier to overeat than solid foods. That being said, make the adjustments you need to for your Whole30 and enjoy!)

In the 21 days since I started my (first) Whole30, I’ve become increasingly competent in the art of the breakfast smoothie.

The smoothie that I blogged about week before last has evolved past the alpha stage into a more complex, flavorful, and healthy version. Each morning, I look forward to my smoothie with greater anticipation.

I start with coconut milk

Then I add some almond butter

A cut-up banana is next

…followed by a handful of spinach

…some ground flax seed

And, to make it pretty and round out the flavour, frozen blueberries

I know I have not reached the level of Smoothie Expert yet, but I am sufficiently satisfied with this stage to submit it to you for beta testing.

Please give it a go and let me know what you think my next step should be.

Sarah’s Whole30 Paleo Smoothie, Beta Version

1/3 cup high-fat coconut milk (read the labels and choose one that uses only guar gum as a “stabilizer”, and has about a 30% fat content. Good fat, remember!)

1-2 Tablespoons almond butter

1 banana, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup (or as much as you think you would enjoy) organic spinach or kale (you might want to blend the kale first before adding the other ingredients: I chewed each mouthful of this morning’s smoothie!)

1 Tablespoon flax seeds (I use a version that is already pre-ground) (flax is a great source of Omega fatty acids)

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

A couple splashes of orange juice (sweetener and consistency regulator: my coconut milk tends to be thick, and adding OJ makes it pourable)

23 thoughts on “Breakfast Smoothie Extraordinaire”

You’re right, flax seeds are frowned upon during the Whole30. In fact, smoothies in general are! If you read the update at the top of the post, you’ll see why. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it at the time.

I saw where kale/spinach can be blasted with water in the blender and then placed in ice trays. Couple of sections are easily added to the bottom of the smoothie, is easy, saves time and adds coldness to the smoothie.